News

Princeton E-ffiliates Partnership, an initiative that forges collaborations between industry and Princeton University experts, has entered a five-year agreement with ExxonMobil to pursue transformational innovations in the fields of energy and environment.

After 18 years of leadership in the field of materials science, James Sturm will step down as director of the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM) effective June 30. Craig Arnold, associate director of PRISM and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, will serve as interim director.

Dean H. Vincent Poor celebrated the largest class in the history of the Princeton School of Engineering and Applied Science during the Class Day ceremony on Monday, June 1, noting the members' outstanding performance in academic, athletic and artistic pursuits.

Princeton University is opening a new incubator space to advance entrepreneurial initiatives and education for faculty, students, and alumni. Called the Entrepreneurship Hub and located at 34 Chambers Street, the space will house the Keller Center's annual eLab program as well as shared working space for startups founded by faculty, students and alumni.

Edward Felten, a Princeton University computer scientist who is a leading expert on computer security, has been named U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer in the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

Emphasizing the importance of recognizing Earth’s limited resources, the CEO of the outdoor gear company Patagonia told a Princeton University audience April 23 that businesses need to take on social and environmental responsibilities.

Rainforests, frequently called the planet's lungs, are often thought of as a single collection of ecosystems. Researchers now find that rainforests across the globe vary greatly in the amount of rainfall they receive, yet all require the same minimum amount of rain to thrive.

In the age of big data and artificial intelligence, the young generation is poised to revolutionize the way humans and computers interact, said Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, speaking to an audience of more than 500 students at the biannual HackPrinceton on campus on April 11.

The battery bounce test, popularized in online videos, has led to the common conclusion that a high bounce means a dead battery. But researchers at Princeton University have found that bouncing is not actually an effective way to check a battery's charge.

Princeton's Innovation Forum "is a way for University researchers to connect with the greater community," said Dean H. Vincent Poor. In the past decade, the forum, and the Keller Center which sponsors it, have forged new connections between engineering, the liberal arts and the world beyond the University.

Research presented at the Innovation Forum ranged from sustainable furniture production to groundwater bioremediation. A member of each team delivered a three-minute pitch to a panel of judges consisting of investors and business leaders, who then awarded prize money to their top choices.

"We thought: does the nucleolus' assembly and function depend on the size of the cell?" said Clifford Brangwynne, the lead researcher and an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at Princeton. "If this were true, then it could provide a feedback mechanism for regulating cell growth."

Princeton University was one of 12 institutions nationwide to receive a total of $56 million in funds from the National Science Foundation to support Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs).

The winter 2015 issue of EQuad News highlights the strong and growing interest in entrepreneurship at Princeton. In an essay, Professor Mung Chiang discusses ongoing planning around "Entrepreneurship the Princeton Way" as a lead-in to stories about student, faculty and alumni initiatives that do not just seek start businesses, but to make a positive impact for society.